Cleaning tool for storage battery posts and terminals



Nov 15, A. L. VON TERSCH T L CLEANING TOOL FOR STORAGE BATTERY POST AND TERMINALS Filed Oct. 29. 1965 INVENTORS,

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MM W United States Patent 3,284,833 CLEANING TOOL FOR STORAGE BATTERY POSTS AND TERMINALS Alfred L. von Tersch, Clarinda, and Mack N. Farmer, College Springs, Iowa, assignors to Lisle Corporation, Clarinda, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Oct. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 505,629

6 Claims. (Cl. 15104.02)

This invention relates to a cleaning tool for storage battery terminal posts and storage battery cable terminals.

One object of the invention is to provide a cleaning tool for cleaning corrosion from the outside of posts and the inside of terminals by the simple operation of rotating the tool after engaging it over the post or within the hole in the terminal.

Another object is to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive tool comprising a holder and a pair of coil springs projecting from opposite ends thereof, the coil springs being cone-shaped and one of them being insertable into a terminal for cleaning corrosion from the hole therein whereas the other is operable to receive a post for cleaning corrosion from the surface thereof.

Still another object is to provide a holder having a boss at one end and a socket at the other which coact with the cleaning springs in such manner as to rigidly mount them with respect to the holder, and to provide a hand grip means for rotating the tool and thereby the cleaning springs.

A further object is to provide a tool of the character disclosed in which the springs are identical and can be interchanged after they become worn so as to double the life of the tool.

Still a further object is to provide the springs with roughened surfaces so that they are effective as corrosioncleaning elements with respect to the posts and terminals of a storage battery.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my cleaning tool, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawing, where- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning tool embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the cleaning springs removed from the tool;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tool showing details of construction with two protective covers in place, one of which is omitted from FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross sections through the cleaning springs showing their operation for cleaning storage battery cable terminals and storage battery terminal posts, respectively;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of one form of spring wire used to form the cleaning springs of my cleaning tool;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation thereof, partly in section, and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation partly in section of another form of spring wire that can be used to form the cleaning spring of my tool.

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference character A to indicate a holder, B a cleaning spring on one end of the holder, C a cleaning spring on the other end of the holder and D protective covers for the cleaning springs. The cleaning spring B is adapted to enter in the tapered opening of a storage battery cable terminal 10 as shown in FIG. 4 and substantially fit the taper thereof whereas the spring C is adapted to fit over a tapered storage battery terminal post 12 and substantially fit the taper thereof during use of the tool. Accordingly, the springs B and C are cone-shaped and of substantially the same taper as the terminal elements 10 and 12.

In order to be effective, the surfaces of the springs B and C, at least where they engage in the opening of the terminal 10 and the surface of the post 12, should be roughened in some fashion such as by cross grooves 14 shownin FIGS. 6 and 7 or by a spiral groove 16 as shown in FIG. 8. Such roughness is preferably in the form of V-shaped projections formed by depressing the grooves 14 or 16 in the surfaces of the coil springs which can be accomplished before the springs are hardened and coiled. The grooves may be pressed, rolled, forged, or otherwise formed. They may then be hardened and wound to the shapes illustrated whereupon roughened surfaces suitable for cleaning corrosion from the surfaces of stor-' age battery terminals are provided upon relative rotation of the holder A relative to the terminal 10 or the post 12. To facilitate such rotation, the surface of the holder may be fiuted as shown at 18 in FIGS. 1 and 3.

I provide a simple method of mounting the springs B and C on the holder A comprising a tapered boss 20 at one end of the holder and a tapered socket 22 in its other end. In FIG. 1 an arrow 24 shows the direction of rotation of the tool for proper cleaning operation. The springs B and C, it will be noted, are wound right hand so that in relation to the arrow 24 rotation of the holder A will cause the spring B when in a terminal 10 to grip the boss 20 and the spring C when over a post 12 to grip the inner surface of the socket 22 because the tendency for the spring B is to contract on the boss 20 upon rotation in the direction of the arrow 24 and for the spring C to expand within the socket 22. As the springs are rotated, they clean corrosion from the terminals so that good electrical connection can be made.

Rotation of the holder A contrary to the arrow 24 will permit the springs B and C to be removed from the holder whereupon they may be reversed (C taking the place of B and B taking the place of C) after the springs are worn. Thereupon the opposite ends of the springs will be used, the spring C within the terminal 10 and the spring B outside the post 12, thus doubling the useful life of the springs in an obvious manner.

The springs may be provided with the described roughened surfaces throughout the diameter of the spring wire if round wire is used as in FIG. 8 or on one surface (or two opposite surfaces) if the spring wire is square as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The roughening can be omitted from any surfaces that are not used for cleaning purposes as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 to effect economies of manufacture.

The covers D may have fingers 28 entering grooves 26 of the body portion 18 of the holder A so that, with one cover removed for using one of the springs such as B in FIG. 1, the other one serves as a handle for rotating the tool. Such handle may be fluted as at 30 in FIG. 1 to facilitate gripping the tool during cleaning operations.

Both covers D are installed in FIG. 3, this being the condition of the tool when not in use at which time the covers D protect adjacent tools in a tool tray or the like against battery corrosion still clinging to the cleaning springs.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my cleaning tool without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may reasonably be included within their scope.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a cleaning tool for storage battery terminal elements, a holder and a cone-shaped coil spring extending from one end of said holder, said coil spring having a roughened surface for engaging a storage battery terminal element and cleaning corrosion therefrom upon rotation of said tool relative to the terminal element.

2. A cleaning tool according to claim 1 wherein said holder is provided with a hand grip portion for facilitating rotation of said tool.

3. A cleaning tool according to claim 1 wherein a second and similar cone-shaped coil spring extends from the opposite end of said holder, one of said coil springs being operable inside a storage battery cable terminal and the other of said coil springs being operable outside a storage battery terminal post.

4. A cleaning tool according to claim 1 wherein said holder has a portion coacting with the inner end of said coil spring for mounting said spring with respect to said holder.

5. In a cleaning tool for storage battery posts and cable terminals, an elongated holder and a cone-shaped coil spring extending from each end thereof, one of said coil springs having a roughened inner surface for engaging the surface of a storage battery terminal post for cleaning corrosion therefrom upon rotation of said tool relative to said post and the other of said coil springs having a roughened outer surface for engaging the inner surface of a storage battery cable terminal for cleaning corrosion therefrom upon rotation of said tool relative to said terminal.

6. A cleaning tool according to claim 5 wherein said holder has a boss around which said first coil spring is wound for mounting the same on said holder and a socket in which the other of said coil springs is received for mounting said other coil spring relative to said holder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

20 E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A CLEANING TOOL FOR STORAGE BATTERY TERMNAL ELEMENTS, A HOLDER AND A CONE-SHAPED COIL SPRING EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID HOLDER, SAID COIL SPRING HAVING A ROUGHENED SURFACE FOR ENGAGING A STORAGE BATTERY TERMINAL ELEMENT AND CLEANING CORROSION THEREFROM UPON ROTATION OF SAID TOOL RELATIVE TO THE TERMINAL ELEMENT. 